Alfonso Interpretinghttps://alfonsointerpreting.com
Elegant solutions to common language problemsFri, 08 Dec 2017 16:20:34 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.1https://alfonsointerpreting.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/cropped-big-logo-1-32x32.pngAlfonso Interpretinghttps://alfonsointerpreting.com
3232What Are The Direct And Hidden Cost Of Workplace Injuries?https://alfonsointerpreting.com/what-are-the-direct-and-hidden-cost-of-workplace-injuries/
https://alfonsointerpreting.com/what-are-the-direct-and-hidden-cost-of-workplace-injuries/#respondFri, 08 Dec 2017 16:20:34 +0000https://alfonsointerpreting.com/?p=3360Tony Rosario worked in construction as a roofer. He slipped and fell off the roof, resulting in a head injury and some broken bones. Due to his injuries, workers’ comp. insurance covered all his medical expenses. What sort of medical expenses?

Direct costs

Hospital cost, doctor visits, testing such as X rays, and MRIs, physical therapy, transportation to his medical appointments, an interpreter for all these appointments, and the cost of a case manager. The cost of his covered medical compensation was $50,000 when all was said and done.

We call this direct cost, which is covered by insurance. Nevertheless, eventually the employer will pay for all of it all plus interest through higher insurance premiums. However, it doesn’t end there.

Indirect costs

We are just starting. Most experts conservatively calculate that the indirect cost may easily be calculated at four times the direct cost. Depending on the industry and circumstances, some have calculated indirect cost at up to ten times the direct cost! What does that mean?

If Mr. Rosario’s direct cost came out to $50,000, then four times that is $200,000! When you add that up, you are now looking at one injury costing a company a quarter million dollars. Not to mention that we are talking about a person’s life, which has no price tag.

What are some of these indirect costs?

Indirect costs refer to tools, products, materials, property or building damage. Delays in production due to interruptions can also be expensive. Other time-consuming activities include investigating, followed by extensive paperwork. There is substantial cost and time invested not only in the replacement hiring process, but also the training involved. Speaking of training, every employee has a learning curve before he becomes efficient and productive. In the meantime, other employees are covering the job, requiring a company to pay overtime! Supervisors are working extra hard after an accident to correct issues and ensure that another doesn’t happen. In addition, there are workers’ comp. forms and OSHA® logs to finish, all costing money in clerical time. When a big accident happens, the work day is over, and there might be a slow down for several days before everything settles. That is called down time; it can be expensive. You can bet that the injured worker isn’t satisfied with his workers’ compensation check; after all, it’s only two-thirds of his salary. Just because he’s injured doesn’t mean all his living expenses will also be reduced by one-third. In the meantime, morale is down, and employees are murmuring. Finally, if a company develops a negative public image and is perceived as unsafe and uncompliant, the company will most likely miss out on important contracts, which can represent a massive loss in income. Therefore, most companies will invest in maintaining and improving their public image.

Studies show that the investment you make in an effective safety program will ultimately save your company a lot of headaches and money! As you can see, companies have strong motivation to maintain a safe workplace.

]]>https://alfonsointerpreting.com/what-are-the-direct-and-hidden-cost-of-workplace-injuries/feed/0When Good People Are Unethical: ADVOCACYhttps://alfonsointerpreting.com/when-good-people-are-unethical-advocacy/
https://alfonsointerpreting.com/when-good-people-are-unethical-advocacy/#respondMon, 04 Dec 2017 21:14:09 +0000https://alfonsointerpreting.com/?p=3354Imagine this. Instead of hiring a professional interpreter who is familiar with and cognizant of the code of ethics, an untrained bilingual person is hired to simply cover the assignment. Without proper knowledge and training, the bilingual person serving as an “interpreter” will most likely unconsciously commit serious ethical violations while at the same time thinking he is doing a good deed.

Example 12

Ms. Ana Moura was contracted to interpret for Mrs. Amalia Rodrigues for a CT scan. The technician quickly sets the patient up, appearing to be in a hurry. When the technician asked the patient if she was allergic to shellfish, he walked away before the patient answered yes. The scan called for contrast dye; however, the patient is highly allergic to it.

Before the technician injected the patient, the interpreter asked him to stop because the patient had said she was allergic to contrast dye. Annoyed, the tech told off the interpreter, stating that her job is to only repeat what is being said, and she had no place to be speaking on behalf of the patient. He then proceeded to ask the patient if she was allergic to the dye. When the patient said yes, he complained that the patient should have spoken up sooner instead of wasting his time.

This scenario demonstrates another ethical dilemma that interpreters face when it comes to advocacy. Let’s look at some more NCIHC National Standards on advocacy to understand better.

ADVOCACY:

The objective in the NCIHC National Standards of Practice for Interpreters in Health Care in this case is to prevent harm to parties that the interpreter serves. When the patient’s health, well-being, or dignity is at risk, an interpreter may be justified in acting as an advocate.

.

The interpreter may speak out to protect an individual from serious harm

An interpreter may intervene on behalf of a patient with a life-threatening allergy, if the condition has been overlooked

The interpreter may advocate on behalf of a party or group to correct mistreatment or abuse

An interpreter may alert his or her supervisor to patterns of disrespect towards patients

This scenario demonstrates a very challenging situation that interpreters face. While it is true that interpreters should typically communicate what is being said without adding or paraphrasing or imputing their own opinions, there are appropriate moments for advocacy. Professional interpreters know when to advocate and when not to interfere. It requires sound judgment and courage to understand and follow ethical guidelines. This article covered the last point of this series. However, a future article will summarize everything we considered in this very comprehensive series on interpreter ethics.

]]>https://alfonsointerpreting.com/when-good-people-are-unethical-advocacy/feed/0Sexual Harassment & Interpretinghttps://alfonsointerpreting.com/sexual-harassment-interpreting/
https://alfonsointerpreting.com/sexual-harassment-interpreting/#respondTue, 28 Nov 2017 16:57:15 +0000https://alfonsointerpreting.com/?p=3350Sexual harassment is a very big issue on the minds of most people this year. The list of Hollywood power players accused of harassment or abuse is immense, perhaps only outdone by the list of politicians. What makes the story all the more interesting is that fact that more and more women have mustered the courage to stand up and confront it.

In fact, we are familiar with several great lawyers who specialize in providing harassment awareness classes. Attorneys are especially suited for this kind of work because they understand the intricacies of the law and encourage companies to become compliant and provide a safe work environment (please see the blog of one of our attorney partners, Peter Rutledge).

What if you have a multilingual, limited English workforce? In order to avoid potential liabilities that slip through the language gap, companies need to ensure that every employee understands company policies and receives effective training. Companies cannot assume that employees who understand just enough “work” English will understand the more technical legal aspects that may be considered in a sexual harassment class.

Under these circumstances, we have partnered with law firms and companies by providing professional conference interpreters familiar with the subject who utilize simultaneous interpreting equipment. Although Spanish is the most common foreign language, we have the capability of providing quality professional interpreters in many languages.

When providing sexual harassment training, make sure your investment achieves its goal by assuring that everyone benefits from the training. It is expensive to invest in workplace harassment training and conference interpreting solutions. However, only one workplace harassment lawsuit or settlement can cost you between $75,000 to $168 million. An ounce of prevention is always worth more than a pound of cure.

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]]>https://alfonsointerpreting.com/sexual-harassment-interpreting/feed/0Life-Changing Opportunity at Greer Courthttps://alfonsointerpreting.com/life-changing-opportunity-at-greer-court/
https://alfonsointerpreting.com/life-changing-opportunity-at-greer-court/#respondSat, 18 Nov 2017 16:19:06 +0000https://alfonsointerpreting.com/?p=3342Sometimes I like to watch Emily interpret in court. I take a seat somewhere among the other people and just observe. Sure, you might think I’m prejudiced because she is my wife, but in my professional opinion, she does a super job! I really love watching a professional do her thing at the top of her game! However, this post is not really intended to be about Emily. This one is about a certain judge in Greer.

Perhaps maybe a year ago, I was sitting back watching Emily interpreting in Greer court and found myself intrigued by the judge. The judge was speaking with a young man who had a marijuana charge. The judge asked the young man if he had a job. The answer, “yes sir.” Then the judge asked him if he had finished school. The answer was no, but he was working on his GED.

At this moment the judge encouraged the young man to keep going and to get that GED. The judge surprised me by admitting to the young man in public that he also had a GED and found success to the point of becoming a judge!

He then told the young man that if he stayed away from drugs and completed his GED, the charges would be dropped. However, on the other hand, if the young man were to get in trouble again or not finish getting his GED, he could see some prison time and have a tarnished record making it difficult for future job options.

Later, the judge did it again! This time it was a women going through nursing school. If she stayed clean and finished college, the charges would be dropped with a great future ahead. If she reneged, she would be charged and be kicked out of nursing school.

When I walked out of court that day, I pondered the question of how often this judge gives people this kind of opportunity. Part of the condition of dropping the charges is to improve yourself by completing your education. I also wondered how many people benefited from such a generous opportunity. I also wondered how many people waste that opportunity to move forward and change their lives?

The next time Emily invited me to observe her interpret for that particular judge, I was eager to go. I just had to see if that was just one special day or if he is like this all the time. It turns out, that he is like this all the time.

If I were a waging man, I would bet anybody that this judge probably doesn’t even have any idea how many people he has helped over the years in this way. It can be really easy to get discouraged by focusing on the cases that end up returning in front of him. The wasted chances that were squandered.

I would say this. To the people that squandered their chance, at least they were given a fair opportunity to make a real change. To the ones who stay clean and finish school, this judge changed those people’s lives for the better. I wish I had a statistic or number of how many lives were affected over the years. I have no doubt that it is many!

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]]>https://alfonsointerpreting.com/life-changing-opportunity-at-greer-court/feed/0The Cost of Workers’ Compensation Insurance Premiums?https://alfonsointerpreting.com/the-cost-of-workers-compensation-insurance-premiums/
https://alfonsointerpreting.com/the-cost-of-workers-compensation-insurance-premiums/#respondFri, 10 Nov 2017 14:43:59 +0000https://alfonsointerpreting.com/?p=3337A total of 4,836 workers died from an occupational injury in 2015. Also, there were a shocking 1,153,490 nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work.

Workers’ compensation insurance pays for occupational injury and illness which is why companies buy the insurance. Often, it is an employer’s single most expensive line of coverage.

Nationwide, the average direct cost of an injury is around $38,000.00. The indirect cost is four times higher. This means that an average United States workplace injury can be estimated to cost $190,000.00 per person.

The average construction slip-and-fall is $58,869.00. By doing the math, this represents $235,476.00 in indirect costs, for a grand total of $294,345.00. Three hundred thousand dollars could bankrupt a small business, which is why workers’ compensation insurance is so expensive. If a company averages a 10% profit margin, it would have to generate an additional $2,943,450.00 to cover the cost!

Insurance companies base their premiums on statistics and the law of averages. Insurance premiums will also be affected by the number of accidents a company has. For example, let’s say that the premium for a workers’ compensation policy is $100,000.00.

Imagine now that there is an accident paying out in direct cost $50,000.00. The premium will go up by $24,000.00, raising the rate to $124,000.00. This premium increase will remain for three years. In other words, this $50,000.00 claim will ultimately end up costing a company $72,000.00 in additional insurance premiums. It is also estimated that indirect cost can often represent four times the direct cost. (A future article will explain the difference between direct and indirect cost.)

The number of injuries occurring among the Hispanic population is severely disproportionate to its size. According to The National Safety Council, companies that participate in voluntary safety programs decrease claims by 52 percent. The average claim amount also decreases by 80 percent. Why? Because in addition to reducing the number of injuries, the injuries that do take place are generally less severe.

Factor in that the latest statistics show that Latinos make up 30% of the construction workforce and have the highest percent of injuries. Training in Spanish should not be overlooked.

As you can see, it makes financial sense to reduce injuries in the work place. But not only that, it’s also the right thing to do.

]]>https://alfonsointerpreting.com/the-cost-of-workers-compensation-insurance-premiums/feed/0When Good People Are Unethical: Cultural Awarenesshttps://alfonsointerpreting.com/when-good-people-are-unethical-cultural-awareness/
https://alfonsointerpreting.com/when-good-people-are-unethical-cultural-awareness/#respondFri, 03 Nov 2017 14:31:13 +0000https://alfonsointerpreting.com/?p=3324Imagine this. Instead of hiring a professional interpreter who is familiar with and cognizant of the code of ethics, an untrained bilingual person is hired to simply cover the assignment. Without proper knowledge and training, the bilingual person serving as an “interpreter” will most likely unconsciously commit serious ethical violations while at the same time thinking he is doing a good deed.

Example

Mr. Eddie Santiago was contracted to interpret for Mr. Toño Rosario at his doctor’s appointment. When Mr. Rosario was called into the appointment, his many brothers followed him. The nurse then asked them all to leave, causing Mr. Rosario much anxiety.

As the doctor began to explain the medical options that he had, Mr. Rosario would reply, “Whatever you say doctor.” Again, the doctor repeated the options, and a very frustrated patient again replied, “You are the doctor!”

Now very frustrated, the doctor looks over at the interpreter and asked, “Is he understanding? Are you interpreting correctly?” The interpreter responded that yes the patient understands and that he is interpreting everything correctly.

What happened in this scenario is common. Although the interpreter conveyed everything correctly, there was a communication breakdown due to cultural differences. Let’s look at how cultural awareness can help.

Cultural Awareness

The objective in the National Standards of Practice for Interpreters in Health Care in this case is to facilitate communication across cultural differences. Interpreters strive to develop awareness of the cultures encountered in the performance of interpreting duties.

The interpreter strives to understand the cultures associated with the languages he or she interprets, including biomedical culture

An interpreter learns about the traditional remedies some patients may use

The interpreter alerts all parties to any significant cultural misunderstanding that arises

If a provider asks a patient who is fasting for religious reasons to take an oral medication, an interpreter may call attention to the potential conflict

In this example, the interpreter was unprofessional. In many Hispanic cultures, the patient often brings many family members who all consult together. Also, it is also common for many Hispanic patients to accept whatever the doctor recommends. They find it confusing when doctors in the United States provide them with options and leave it up to them to decide. Had the interpreter paused and explained these differences to both the patient and doctor, perhaps family members would have been allowed to stay, and the doctor would have explained things better to the patient.

Professional interpreters can help overcome communication breakdowns that aren’t related to language but culture. Untrained bilingual people, although well-meaning, typically fall right into this trap.

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]]>https://alfonsointerpreting.com/when-good-people-are-unethical-cultural-awareness/feed/0Last chance to sign up for our OSHA 10 in Spanishhttps://alfonsointerpreting.com/last-chance-to-sign-up-for-our-osha-10-in-spanish/
https://alfonsointerpreting.com/last-chance-to-sign-up-for-our-osha-10-in-spanish/#respondMon, 30 Oct 2017 14:16:34 +0000https://alfonsointerpreting.com/?p=3316

In this case, due to a very small location and meeting time of less than 2.5 hours, cutting-edge conference interpreting solutions were not used. Only a transmitter and receivers for limited English proficient employees were utilized. However, one thing that never changes is the use of professional conference interpreting teams to assure accuracy for your peace of mind.

For many company meetings, be they training sessions, quarterly updates, or human resource sessions, conference interpreting solutions including an ISO 4043 compliant mobile interpreter booth is used. Investing in sound conference interpreting solutions can increase the participation of LEP employees in benefits packages (too few participants and a company can lose its plan), reduce the number of workers’ compensation claims, and reduce a company’s liability if it is sued by an employee.

Conclusion

Both international summits and company meetings require top notch professional conference interpreters. What changes is the type of conference interpreting solutions required based on location and time duration. Our goal is to provide every customer with great value and successful events.

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]]>https://alfonsointerpreting.com/how-conference-interpreting-fills-your-need-part-2/feed/0Assuring Accuracy with Certified Court Interpretershttps://alfonsointerpreting.com/assuring-accuracy-with-certified-court-interpreters/
https://alfonsointerpreting.com/assuring-accuracy-with-certified-court-interpreters/#respondMon, 23 Oct 2017 00:28:36 +0000https://alfonsointerpreting.com/?p=3306When a civil complaint is filed in court, a person is arrested, or a petition for child custody is presented, the legal process begins. When any of the parties involved speaks limited or no English, the danger exists for unfair treatment and infringement upon an individual’s due process rights.

During the legal process, a person has the right to know what is occurring and how the case is proceeding. If an individual has limited English proficiency (LEP), caution is advised in communicating legal matters through an interpreter or bilingual person. Why is that?

Some people erroneously believe that certified court interpreters are only required in court. They believe that other interpreters can practice at attorney-client meetings, client preparation appointments, depositions, and mediations. Nevertheless, such belief is unfounded. No one would argue that lawyers are only needed at court, and that paralegals and assistants can conduct meetings, depositions, and mediations. In fact, without certified court interpreters and properly trained bilingual assistants and attorneys, the credibility of the party may be impeached. How could that occur?

Legal language is very precise. Although it is high register, it means exactly what is said. It helps to avoid ambiguity. During a criminal matter, terms such as indictment, true bill, felony, misdemeanor, with prejudice, and prayer for judgment continued have a specific meaning that are little understood by general lay people. For civil matters, terms like examination under oath, deposition, interrogatories are equally challenging. In family, divorce, and protection matters, the public is unfamiliar with terms like legal custody, physical custody, guardian ad litem, termination of parental rights, CASA (no it’s not house in Spanish), or permanency planning hearings.

Every country has its own code of laws and judicial systems. Well-intentioned bilingual individuals and perhaps even bilingual attorneys have made (and some continue to make) dreadful errors in translation. These errors can wreak havoc upon the outcome of a case. If the LEP party hears this legal terminology for the first time in court through the certified court interpreter, it can derail the party’s thought pattern and influence the appearance of the party’s credibility. Is saving money on interpreter services worth losing your case? Therefore, it is incumbent upon those communicating with an LEP party to ensure that the correct register and terminology is used. When you contract practicing certified court interpreters, you significantly decrease or eliminate misunderstandings and greatly increase your possibility of success with accurate court interpretation

Latino workers comprise 15% of the workforce in the United States. In construction, the average is 30% and can even be higher among roofers. Other industries also employ a higher percentage of Hispanic workers.

The number of injuries occurring among the Hispanic population is severely disproportionate to its size. Most foreign-born Latinos have little or no understanding of English. They are deprived of safety training when they sit through English language safety classes. Sometimes, they are given safety videos to watch in their own language. Although this option is inexpensive and seems better than doing nothing, it is akin to placing a Band-Aid® on a gunshot wound. Typically, videos are ineffective in truly motivating them to safety action.

Politically, this subject can be a hot topic. Often, it is said that if you are going to work and live in this country, you should learn English! This is the argument for not providing training in their language. The funny thing is that you would get no argument from most Hispanic workers. They typically agree and have the earnest desire to learn English, and in fact, many do.

However, for many, the challenge can be daunting. Here are the reasons why:

Many of the Latino workers driven to find work in this country have very little or no education. How can you expect someone who cannot read in his native language to learn a new one?

Many Hispanic workers work long hours in order to provide for families at home. They have very little time or energy to devote to learning a new language.

Whatever your opinion on this matter, we are all obligated to obey the law. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA®) requires all companies to provide a safe workplace. For this reason, it states that:

Training be done in the language that the workers best understands

Safety Data Sheets describing how to protect workers from chemicals must also be kept in all the languages spoken by employees

Chemical labels need to be easily understood

These OSHA® requirements make it clear that if a company chooses to hire someone with limited English proficiency (LEP), it must provide proper training labeling in the LEP person’s language.

The two most common ways that this can be done is by hiring bilingual professionals to transmit the information to employees or by hiring interpreters.

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